Prologue
As a century-old Elder, life was always the same until I met her. I thought Elders were meant to be alone forever. How is she able to evoke these feelings in me? Who is she?
As a Lycan prince set to take after my father, the Alpha king, I've been trained to kill the girl who will fulfill the prophecy. But what happens when this girl is my mate and my father tries to take my mate for himself? Have I been deceived all these years?
As an ancient Vampire, what more could intrigue me after living for centuries? Who is this girl who makes my dead heart beat again? To make me want to do everything for her?
CHAPTER 1 ---- The Encounter
Magnetara (Mag)
"Hey!! Please wait for me!! I'm here. Don't leave me behind?" I screamed at the top of my lungs while running after the bus I was supposed to be in. I'm not surprised Andrea and her squad made the bus leave me behind, but leaving me in another pack's territory is bad, especially when I'm close to my 18th birthday.
I snapped out of my thoughts and ran faster to catch up to the bus that was gaining more and more distance between us. I doubt they saw me running after them with all that dust bellowing behind the bus. I stopped running after the bus and turned to the sleek minivan that had accompanied us to our bathing ritual a few hours ago.
The head warrior told us to stay clear of that van since it carried the Elder who oversaw this year's bathing ritual. I don't want to disturb them, but I can't just watch them do this to me, especially when, in a few days, I will be 18 and able to find my mate. Also, after the bath, they told us our scent would be very potent, and we shouldn't be in the company of men; they wouldn't be able to control themselves around us.
Even though they might not be our mates, they might force us to have sex, and in our pack, it's a disaster to lose your virginity to someone who is not your mate. I always say they have double standards; for men, it's ok to sleep around, but for girls like me, if you lose your virginity before mating, your mate is likely to be angry with you.
I came out of my thoughts again when I realized that the van was also gaining distance between us. Shit, I screamed, "Elder! Please help me, take me along. Elder!!" I screamed after the elder's van. Because of the dust, I know they might not see me very well, but as an elder, I'm hoping he can hear me out here because of his sharp hearing. I waved my hands and screamed at the top of my voice.
The van kept moving. I couldn't run that fast after a car because I didn't have my wolf yet. As the distance widened, I started to panic and lose all hope. I looked back to see some of the warriors in the pack we stopped at looking at me. I turned back to the van again, and it had stopped. Thank God. I ran to the Van.
The window rolled down, and a warrior, to the elder, asked me what I wanted. "I... I'm from the mountain pack, and they left me behind."
"They left you behind! Why will they leave you behind?" the warrior asked annoyingly. Maybe he thought I was lying, and that's why he was angry, I thought to myself.
"I swear, it's true. I took part in the bathing ritual. I just went to the bathroom. When I returned, the bus left, and they didn't hear me. Please talk to the Elder. I'm sure he saw me during the bathing ritual. Can you call our head warrior? She can confirm this. My name is Magnetara Vardel. I'm an omega in the mountain pack. She has a list of us. Please!" I pleaded with the warrior, feeling my tears threatening to spill.
Andrea and her group have always bullied me, but this is the worst one: to let the bus leave me behind. I've never left the pack's territory before. How would I get back? I'm sure my scent is wafting everywhere from how the warriors looked at me. If the Elder doesn't take me along, I'll be ruined.
They won't be able to control themselves and force themselves on me even if they don't want to. I'm so stupid; I should have told our head warrior when Andrea forced me to drink that potion, which led me to this predicament. As I stood there anxiously awaiting the elder's response, I hoped he believed me.
The side door opened, and the warrior asked me to get in. Thank the stars. I got in as fast as I could. The door shut, and the van moved. It was so hot outside, but inside the van was so cool, and wow, the elder is beautiful. I stopped dead in my tracks. How can a man be more than handsome? We stared at each other. Oh, men! I can't take my eyes off him. I know he is an Elder, and we are not supposed to look them in the eyes, but I can't pull my eyes away. It's like a force was pulling me into him.
"Hey! Hey!! That's very disrespectful. You need to bow before the elder, not look him in the eye. Who taught you? What is your name again? You have to be punished when you get back to your pack." One of the warriors thundered, snapping me back to reality. What have I done? I'll be in so much trouble if he reports me.
Ranked wolves don't look at alphas in their eyes much more than an Elder. All Alphas in their presence have to bow to them, and even the Alpha king has to show the elders the respect they deserve because of their authority. As an omega, it was worse for me; way to go, Mag, I chided myself.
There was just a small space in the van without a seat, so I fell on my knees in front of the warrior and begged, "I... I'm so sorry, please don't report me. I don't know what came over me."
"It's ok, Lance, stop berating the poor girl. Can't you see she is frightened enough?" I heard a smooth yet commanding voice reply to the warrior. It must be the Elder; I wasn't sure since my head was bowed in this position. "Get up, little one, raise your head," he commanded. I couldn't resist the command and the pull, so I lifted my head and gasped. His eyes were like deep silver with dark irises. His hair is silver, matching his eyes. He looked so young, like in his 20s. Is he an elder? I asked myself.
I heard him chuckle a little before asking, "You said you were Magnetara Vardel, right?" I nodded my head continuously.
"And to answer your question, yes, I'm an elder. Don't let my youthful look fool you." He added.
What! I didn't ask him that. Or did I say it out loud? I thought about it in confusion.
"No, Magnetara. You didn't ask out loud, but I heard your question, " he clarified.
Shit, he reads mind. Then, did he hear me think all that about him? What must he think of me? I need to stop thinking. But how do I turn off my thoughts? I was drawn out of my thoughts when I saw how he was looking at me, with his head tilted sideways like he was trying to smell something.
That's when it hit me. Oh shit, I've forgotten about my scent. This is bad. I looked around and saw that there were about three warriors seated around the Elder. They had all tilted their heads trying to smell me, but the enclosed space and the air conditioning in the van weren't helping at all.
I wasn't sure what to do. I cleared my throat. "Elder, please could you contact the head warrior in my van to come for me? I know I have no right to ask this of you, but as you can see, I shouldn't be here with you all." I said, trying not to say something about my scent to avoid drawing their minds to it. From their faces, I could see them struggling to control themselves.
My scent wasn't like this before the bath. The bathing ritual cleansed and sanctified us, making our scents potent for tonight's mating ceremony. This helps our mates find us easily and also welcomes our wolves readily. In my case, it's extremely potent. Nana told me to be extra careful because of my background and who I might be.
I should have put my pendant on right after the bath. Nana warned me to wear it as soon as I finished the bath. I never take it off at home, even if I am bathing, but she said I couldn't take it inside the spring used for the cleansing. But I forgot to put it back on when Andrea cornered me with her group, forcing me to drink that potion. Before I left for the cleansing, Nana had cast a spell on me for extra scent suppression, but whatever Andrea forced me to drink sort of undid the spell.
After drinking that potion, I started emitting a strong, pleasant smell—it's like it enhanced my scent. Now, the pendant is in my bag in the van. I don't know if the pendant can suppress it, but I really need to get it.
When the elder didn't respond, I asked again. "Elder, please can you...."
"I heard you the first time, Magnetara," he interrupted me. "What pendant are you thinking about? What does it do? Come, sit with me; you shouldn't be kneeling."
"But Elder, there are no empty seats, and I can't come closer," I argued, trying to stop the inevitable. As soon as I said that, I felt a force moving me forward. I tried to resist, but it was still strong. I looked around and realized the elder was moving me with his hands outstretched. I shook my head, but it was like he wasn't listening. Oh no, what if he touches me? I can't afford to lose my virginity to him. Looking at their faces with their dilated eyes, I think they are losing control. "Elder," I tried again, "Please could you...."
"Shhhhhh, little one, it's going to be alright; I'll take you back to your pack."
"But this isn't right; I shouldn't be here with you." I tried to resist the pull, but my body wasn't listening, and I was close to him now. He held my hands and pulled me into his lap. His hand caressed my face. "Little one, you are so beautiful with such a lovely name. Why didn't I smell this scent on you at the cleansing? I performed your pack's cleansing.
I've smelled many scents in my long life, but yours is different." He sniffed me again. "It's so sweet; I've never smelled anything like it. I can't describe it. I can't stop myself. Trust me, you are the first person I've been unable to resist. What is it about you? I can't put my hands on it. Who are you?" He asked, sniffing my hair, body, and everywhere.
"Elder, that's why I asked you to call my head warrior. She will......" he cut me off with his lips on mine. I was shocked into stillness as he kissed me fervently. His hands started caressing my body. He searched for my boobs, fondling them. His kiss was like nectar; even though my rational mind was fighting it, my mouth was kissing him back. Damn, my body was responding, demanding even. For us shewolves, our bodies only responded to our mates, so I wasn't sure how my body was betraying me. I moaned into his mouth.
Shit, I'm not supposed to be moaning. I have to push him away, but I don't seem to want him to stop; It's like my body is craving for his touch. This is so confusing. What is happening to me? I was startled out of my passion haze when I felt another hand on my thighs, touching me and moving upwards toward my groin. It wasn't the elder's hand as he was fondling my boobs which meant its the warrior. Shoot! I've totally forgotten about them.
Now that my mind isn't crowded and I can think straight, I need to stop this, but how? I pushed back at the elder, but he wasn't stopping; I pushed harder, angling my head from left to right, trying to dislodge him from kissing me. His hands moved from my boobs and held my head still, kissing me deeper than before. My body started responding again. His tongue searched deeper in my mouth. This new level of kissing had my toes curling. I don't know why I'm responding when I should be pulling away.
More hands joined the one roaming my body. Something screamed into my mind, jerking me out of the passion haze that had gripped me. It can't be like this, Mag. With renewed strength, I've no idea where it came from. I pushed the elder hard enough to put space between us.
Panting, I pleaded with the elder, "Please stop, we can't do this." I felt those hands moving higher on my body. I pulled my hands away from the elder's body and struggled to push them back. I tried to resist the hand trying to spread my legs, but another hand intervened, pulling my hands aside and holding them, allowing the warrior to open my legs.
I turned to the elder, pleading with him. I know he is also struggling to control himself, but if he doesn't stop them, they will force themselves on me, and I don't think I'm strong enough to stop them. I have no training, and they are the elders' elite warriors. I can't do anything to stop them if they want to take me forcefully. Thank you, Andrea, for landing me in this mess. Their hands had become bold, trying to get to my pants button.
"Please, elder, help me!" I cried out to him desperately. I think that brought him out of whatever haze he was in. He waved his hands in front of the warriors, and they just sat straight, looking ahead, like they were being controlled. "Everyone, get back to your seats and sleep." As soon as he said that, they all got into their seats and fell asleep instantly.
Wow, just like that. "Yes, Magnetara, you have no idea who I am. I've never felt like this before. I've never lost control before; who are you? Why do I feel this pull to have you?" He looked into my eyes as if trying to read me. "You are gorgeous indeed, but I've met a lot of beautiful women, and none of them had this effect on me; why you?" He turned serious all of a sudden. "Why were you out of your van? Don't you know it's dangerous to get out of the bus after the cleansing?"
